Media & Stories
Case Arena/2020: In February 2020, a client from the financial industry requested an investigation into a company incorporated in Panama, with whom they were analyzing developing an investment project in Central America. The client’s concern was the appearance of the company in the Panama Papers. We analyze the case based on the client’s concerns and agree on a scope, based on possible risks. We identify the company, its directors, dignitaries and local agent.
The aforementioned company is an offshore company controlled from abroad by unidentified persons, without registering any commercial operations in Panama. We did a deeper investigation on the Panamanian directors and discovered that the four directors were figureheads and their names appear in the company documents only for padding, without having any control over the management of the company. In addition, the same directors of the investigated company appear in another 300 companies registered in Panama. We searched and found the address of the figureheads and found that they resided in a peripheral neighborhood in conditions of great poverty.
The investigated company did not have any type of assets, nor employees in Panama, and no commercial activity.
As a result of this investigation, the client decided not to continue business plans with this company, due to the risks found and documented during the investigation.
Case Pietro/2019 – Suspected of Bribery, Collusion and Corruption: In March 2019, a very prestigious New York law firm contacted us to locate people, companies and assets of Bolivarian oligarchs in Panama and Colombia. The client had very limited information about the identities of individuals and companies. After analyzing the case and developing a plan and budget, approved by the client, we begin the investigation. During 90 days of investigations we managed to fully identify 11 people (main suspects), 32 corporations, real estate, vehicles and participation of the subjects in other companies in the jurisdiction of Panama, Colombia, Bahamas, Curacao.
The identified persons were accused of participating in a plot to obtain illegal benefits as employees and suppliers of PDVSA. Children, wives, sons-in-law and drivers participated in the criminal syndicate who acted as figureheads for the intellectual and material authors. We collected evidence, documents, minutes of incorporation, minutes of meetings, minutes of share transfers and other relevant documents that helped understand the role of each of the accused.
All the information collected was exhaustively analyzed by our Venezuelan, Colombian and Panamanian associates, with a very satisfactory result for the client. During the entire working time, daily reports and weekly summaries with comprehensive reports with evidence were sent. All evidence was obtained from open sources using OSINT techniques. In addition, 19 interviews were conducted with human sources, who knew the perpetrators and their operations in Venezuela. The same client contracted our services again for two other similar cases.